Fair Value Accounting Essay Essays

Fair Value Accounting Essay Essays Fair Value Accounting Essay Essay Fair Value Accounting Essay Essay AbstractionRecently. just value accounting suffers heated argument because the fiscal crisis. The intent of this article is to measure and understand just value both in literature analysis and pattern. This paper emphasizes the advantages and disadvantages of the just value measuring. Advocates believe that just value can supply timely information that reflects current fiscal market conditions. and information supplied is dependable. On the other manus. critics argue that just value accounting consequences the job of volatility. limited verifiable and dependable information and procyclicality tendency. After measuring the just value method. two companies were selected which are Qantas and BPH Billion to reflect the existent application of just value and other alternate methods in their 2011 fiscal studies. The dominant measuring is still historical cost. but houses still widely use just value in derivative fiscal instruments. employee portion program and so on. This article besides remarks the differences and similarities between two companies. The last portion shows the hereafter development of just value. and the sentiment is non to abandon this measuring. Suggestions are besides provided to work out peculiar jobs. for illustration. houses can disclosure sufficient and relevant information and premises in Level 1. 2 and 3. and regulators should go on to publish just value measuring criterions and do alterations. : IntroductionThere are some heated arguments about just value virtues and demerits and whether it has future development in fiscal study. Fair value is besides called mark-to-market accounting and it is defined as the value of assets and liabilities could be exchanged between knowing and willing parties in weaponries length minutess. The research methods of this article are based on some empirical groundss and analysis of literature. In the first portion. it critically evaluates the just value accounting by turn toing the pros and coins. and pull a decision that just value measuring is non a perfectmethod and will trip many jobs like inaccurate appraisal. but issues still exists when utilizing other methods like historical cost. Second. Qantas and BHP Billion that listed on ASX were selected to analyse how they used just value and other methods in their 2011 fiscal studies. The decision is that their major measuring is still historical cost. but they still applied just value in deriva tive fiscal instruments. employee portion program and hard currency et Al. The differences are how they revalue belongings. works and equipment. and how they recognize gross. The last portion illustrates the bing issues related to fair value and suggests some recommendations for future development. For illustration. the appraisal of just value contains mistakes and undependable information when the market is inactive and leads excessively much direction discretion. It is suggested that regulators have to see how much latitude should give to directors. and besides houses can supply sufficient information to investors no affair in Level 1. 2 or 3. Overall. the chief thought for the last portion is the just value will non be abandoned in the hereafter. Definition of just valueHarmonizing to AASB 13. it defines the just value as the appraisal of monetary value that would be received from the sell of plus or payment of transportation liability in an active market between willing parties at the measuring day of the month ( AASB. 2011 ) . The just value measuring encompasses three hierarchies. in degree 1 if the quoted monetary values for the same assets or liabilities in active markets are available. just value measuring should be used based on Level 1 inputs. If non. it should see Level 2 or Level 3 inputs. Level 2 inputs are discernible. including quoted monetary values for similar assets or liabilities in active markets. quoted monetary values for same or similar assets in inactive markets. and other relevant market informations. In footings of Level 3. the inputs are unobservable for assets and liabilities ; so mark-to-model attack will normally be used to find the just value ( Laux A ; Leuz 2010 ) . Advantages of the just value measuringTimely informationOne of the advantages of the just value is that it can supply up-to-date andmost relevant information than historical cost because it determines the value of assets and liabilities based on current market conditions. Therefore. the just value measuring increases the transparence and encourages prompt disciplinary actions ( Skoda A ; Bilka 2012 ) . Unbiased measuring and dependable informationFair value is a market-based measuring. therefore it can supply indifferent measuring which is non influenced by factors related to the peculiar entities and the measuring is besides consistent from period to period and cross entities ( Penman 2007 ) . Furthermore. the market-based measuring can provide verifiable and impersonal information informations. it besides means the information is dependable because houses will unwrap methodological analysiss and measurings they applied and relevant information ( Skoda A ; Bilka 2012 ) . Disadvantages of just value measuringVolatilityThe just value accounting will ensue the job of volatility. which contributes to inordinate purchase in roar periods and leads to excessive write-offs in flops because the alterations of assets and liabilities follow with the market environment. Furthermore. the being of volatility of a market perchance has more hazards and unfavourable deductions on companies’ investing capacity ( Laux A ; Leuz 2010 ) . Limited verifiability and dependabilitySome oppositions argue that just value measuring can non supply verifiable and dependable information. Harmonizing to Magnan. ML ( 2009 ) . standard-setters should concentrate on supplying verifiable and conservative information. Nevertheless. FVA can non ever supply verifiable or conservative information particularly for nonfinancial assets that companies utilizing appraisal to mensurate values instead than the existent market monetary values in Level 2 and 3 values. Then the state of affairs will ease use for direction and cut down the dependability of information. ProcyclicalityIt is believed by many oppositions that FVA creates plus bubbles andaggravates the effects of crisis and leads to procyclicality tendency. which increases the systematic hazards in fiscal market ( Jaggi et al. 2010 ) . Because the FVA dependants on market state of affairss. when just value increases. it is boon to banks’ balance sheets at the top of the rhythm and lessenings will weaken the banks’ balance sheets at the underside rhythm which besides cause the market to panic and impact the development of future market and even the whole fiscal system ( Veron 2008 ) . Evaluation of just valueAfter the treatment of pros and coins of the just value. it is clear that the virtues of just value are supplying seasonably and dependable information. while the demerits of just value are ensuing high volatility. limited dependable and verifiable information and tendency to procyclicality. Thus it is obvious that FVA remains imperfect and besides it is difficult to make up ones mind whether just value makes good betterments in accounting measuring ( Skoda A ; Bilka 2012 ) . For illustration. it has been discussed that just value measuring causes jobs when estimate the illiquid assets. whereas is it doing state of affairss better if companies utilizing different measurings like historical-cost accounting ( Laux A ; Leuz 2010 ) ? If there is no other measuring can work out the jobs triggered by FVA. it is still utile and should be applied to some extent. Fair value measuring in Qantas 2011 one-year studyQantas is regarded as one of the most prima trade names in Australia and it provides domestic and long distance air hose. The one-year study shows that the company used historical-cost. realizable value. present value and just value measurings. Fair value measuring is widely applied in Qantas study. First. derivative fiscal instruments are measured at just value both ab initio and on an on-going footing ( Qantas. p56 ) . Furthermore. fiscal warrant contracts are besides stated at just value when the warrant is issued ( Qantas. p58 ) . The just value of hard currency. hard currency equivalents and non-interest-bearing fiscal assets and liabilities approximate equal to their carrying sum as consequence of the short period adulthood. As for interest-bearing liabilities. they are valued ab initio at just value minus attributable dealing costs ( Qantas. p61 ) . Secondly. some grosss forillustration rider and cargo gross and salvation gross use just value method to some extent. Passenger and cargo gross is carried at the just value of the consideration received. while the salvation gross is depending on management’s appraisal of the just value of the expected awards for which the points will be redeemed ( Qantas. p57 ) . Furthermore. the assets classified as held for sale are measured at the lower of transporting sum and just value less costs to sell ( Qantas. p58 ) . Besides. share-based payment is valued at the just value method ( Qantas. p60 ) . Alternate measurings used in QantasQantas non merely applies the mark-to-market measuring but besides uses alternate methods in its study. The company prepared the Consolidated Financial Statements based on historical costs except some assets and liabilities should measured at just value that consistent with the accounting policies ( Qantas. p55 ) . When the house reports the belongings. works and equipment. they are ab initio measured at cost or stated at deemed cost less accrued depreciation and impairment losingss. and so utilize cost theoretical account in reappraisal for the subsequent twelvemonth ( Qantas. p58 ) . The stock lists are carried at the lower of cost and cyberspace realizable value and the footing of leaden norm costs is used on the costs of technology outgo and consumable shops ( Qantas. p58 ) . Furthermore. leased assets and liabilities are reported to the present value of the minimal rental payments ( Qantas. p59 ) . In add-on. non-current receivables and proviso are measured at present value ( Qantas. p58. 60 ) . Fair value measuring in BHP Billion 2011 one-year studyBHP Billion is a world’s largest manufacturer that major running the concern in excavation and crude oil. It is clear that the dominant method used by BHP Billion is historical cost measuring. and it besides uses just value and net nowadays value methods. BHP Billion applied just value in each category of fiscal instruments. All fiscal assets and liabilities except derived functions are ab initio reported at just value of consideration paid or received. and recognized at just value or amortized cost later ( BHP Billion. p211 ) . The just values of derived functions are based on quoted market monetary values ( BHP Billion. p211 ) . Available for sale and trading investings aremeasured at just value ( BHP Billion. p171 ) . Besides. the share-based payments are measured on the just value at grant day of the month ( BHP Billion. p168 ) . Alternate measurings used in BHP BillionHarmonizing to BHP Billion 2011 one-year study. the fiscal statements are drawn up on the footing of historical cost. while derivative fiscal instruments and other peculiar fiscal assets are carried at just value ( BHP Billion. p166 ) . Besides. the rating of belongings. works and equipment are carried on cost less accrued depreciation and damage charges. and the recoverable sum of them are measured at the higher of just value less costs to sell and value in usage ( BHP Billion. p169. 172 ) . Inventories. including work in advancement. are valued at the lower of cost and cyberspace realizable value. Furthermore. leased assets are capitalized at the lower of the just value of the belongings. works and equipment or the estimated present value of the minimal rental payments ( BHP Billion. p169 ) . Additionally. closing and rehabilitation commissariats are measured at the expected value of future hard currency flows. discounted to their present val ue ( BHP Billion. p171 ) . Compare the measurings between Qantas and BHP BillionComparing two companies. the similarities are that historical cost method is their major measuring and they both use just value in derivative fiscal instruments. share-based payments and fiscal assets and liabilities. Because the just value can reflect the up-to-date information of the current market. companies both apply this method in derivative and share-based payments. Besides. for some short period adulthood assets and liabilities. just value can be seen as equal to transporting sum. Furthermore. they both apply same method to mensurate stock lists. As for the differences. Qantas calculated rider and cargo gross and salvation gross in just value method. while BHP Billion acknowledge the gross revenues gross when economic entity has passed control of the goods or other assets to the purchaser. Item of belongings. works and equipment. Qantas used cost theoretical account to appreciate them. whereas BHP Billion recorded the ab in itio cost and so find recoverable sum at the higher of just value less costs to sell and value in usage. Future development of just valueHarmonizing to the treatment of virtues and demerits about the just value measuring. and presentation on how Qantas and BHP Billion applied the just value in their one-year studies. it is still hard to find whether just value method contributes benefits in accounting. Some argues that just value accounting in fiscal coverage may speed up its disjunction from a firm’s concern world. while standard-setters and accounting faculty members believe there is no alternate measuring or describing theoretical account better than FVA ( Magnan 2009 ) . As mentioned by Jaggi et Al. ( 2010 ) . ordinance on just value is important for offering dependable. transparent. and accurate information on plus values to investors. and information is utile during stable market conditions. while it fails to be usefulness when the fiscal market is unstable and volatile. The advantages of just value can back up this statement that it provides timely information. which is mo re utile and reflect current market conditions than historical cost for investors. that is the ground why Qantas and BHP Billion both use this method to mensurate the portions. derived functions and some fiscal instruments. However in an unstable fiscal market. for illustration. when confronting the fiscal crisis. companies’ values written down dramatically utilizing just value measuring. Another terrible job of the just value is that the appraisal of assets and liabilities contain mistakes and the information is non dependable comparison to true market value because it based on unobservable information and will take excessively much discretion for the direction. so it is suggested that the value of assets should non be based on a theoretical account that provides some theoretical value ( Jaggi et al. 2010 ) . Furthermore. regulators have to see how much latitude to give directors when they estimate just value. It is suggested that houses can widen revelation of the implicit in premises when usage just value appraisal no affair in Level 1. 2 or 3. For case. in Level 2 appraisal. companies should supply sufficient information to investors that can assist them to find which assets or liabilities are applied as the footing for comparing. and in Level 3. all relevant theoretical account inputs should be provided to investors ( Landsman 2012 ) . Even the measuring of just value is non accurate ; other alternate method still contains mistakes such as historical cost. Therefore. just valueaccounting should non be abandoned and in order to better it. alteration to the just value accounting should be concerned to work out the specific jobs. It is a challenge for regulators to supply guideline for the rating of fiscal assets that can forestall the companies from fiscal prostration and avoid greater uncertainness in the fiscal markets ( Jaggi et al. 2010 ) . Fortunately. academic accounting research workers like IASB and FASB continue to do attempt in publishing criterions associating to fair value measuring. revelation and acknowledgment that aim to supply ample chance for future research ( Landsman 2012 ) . Additionally. the ordinance compositors will hold a good chance to analyze the efficiency and utility of disclosed information comparing in different adoptive houses. Although the just value is far from perfect now. it is non necessary to abandon this method and all unfavorable judgment can promote farther explore to settle these issues and impulse related establishments to modify the ordinance in order to do betterments in just value measuring ( Skoda A ; Bilka 2012 ) . DecisionFair value measuring suffered many critics after the consequence of the fiscal crisis. It clearly shows the strengths and restrictions of the FVA in this article. The pros are that FVA supplies up-to-date and dependable information ; besides it is an indifferent measuring because it is non affected by factors related to other entities. Even though FVA will do many jobs like high volatility. limited verifiable and dependable and procyclicality tendency. it is still utile to some extent because other alternate methods may non execute better than the FVA. In Qantas and BHP Billion 2011 one-year study. they both reported elements like derived function. some peculiar fiscal instruments. and share-based payments on the footing of just value. The just value can outdo reflect the current market conditions. which is utile to do determinations for investors. There are besides some differences bing in two companies. They recognize belongings. works and equipment in different method. Qantas used cost theoretical accountwhile BPH Billion measured on the footing of reappraisal theoretical account. Besides. Qantas recognized some gross like rider and cargo gross and salvation gross in just value. while BHP Billion was non. As for the hereafter development of the just value. just value accounting should non be abandoned. When confronting the job of just value appraisal. it is suggested that extend revelation of the implicit in premises to users whether in Level 1. 2 or 3. In order to better the measuring. regulators should maintain issue and modifying criterions related to just value measuring and hole progressive in the system. Additionally. ordinance compositors can analyze the efficiency and utility of just value among different adoptive houses. MentionAustralian Accounting Standards Board 2011. Fair Value Measurement. Australian Government. Melbourne. Victoria. viewed 25th April 2013. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. aasb. gov. au/admin/file/content105/c9/AASB13_09-11. pdf gt ; BHP Billion Limited. BHP Billion one-year study 2011. viewed 27th April 2013. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. bhpbilliton. com/home/investors/reports/Documents/2011/BHPBillitonAnnualReport2011_Interactive. pdf gt ; Jaggi. B. Winder. JP A ; Lee. CF 2010. ‘Is There a Future for Fair Value Accounting After the 2008–2009 Financial Crisis? ’ Review of Pacific Basin Financial Markets and Policies. vol. 13. no. 3. pp. 469–493 Landsman. WR 2012. ‘Is just value accounting information relevant and dependable? Evidence from capital market research’ Accounting and Business Research. vol. 37. no. 1. pp. 19-30 Laux. C A ; Leuz. C 2010. ‘Did Fair-Value Accounting Contribute to the Financial Crisis? ’ The Journal of Economic Perspectives. vol. 24. no. 1. pp. 93-118 Magnan. ML 2009. ‘Fair Value Accounting and the Financial Crisis: Messengeror Contributor? ’ . Accounting Perspectives. vol. 8. no. 3. pp. 189 Penman. SH 2007. ‘Financial coverage quality: is just value a plus or a subtraction? ’ Accounting and Business Research. vol. 37. no. 3. pp. 33-44 Skoda. M A ; Bilka. P 2012. ‘Fair value in fiscal statements-advantages and disadvantages’ . Studia Universitatis Vasile Goldis Arad. Seria Stiinte Economice. vol. 22. no. 22. pp. 1-8 The Qantas Group 2011. Qantas one-year study 2011. viewed 26th April 2013. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. qantas. com. au/infodetail/about/investors/2011AnnualReport. pdf gt ; Veron. N 2008. ‘Fair Value Accounting is the Incorrect Scapegoat for this Crisis’ . Accounting in Europe. vol. 5. no. 2. pp. 63-69

If You Love The Headline Analyzer, Just Wait Until You See This... Think #Social Media

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The structural frame paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The structural frame paper - Essay Example â€Å"UncÐ µrtainty appÐ µars as thÐ µ fundamÐ µntal problÐ µm for complÐ µx organizations, and coping with uncÐ µrtainty, as thÐ µ Ð µssÐ µncÐ µ of thÐ µ administrativÐ µ procÐ µss. Just as complÐ µtÐ µ uncÐ µrtainty or randomnÐ µss is thÐ µ antithÐ µsis of purposÐ µ and of organization, complÐ µtÐ µ cÐ µrtainty is a figmÐ µnt of thÐ µ imagination, but thÐ µ tightÐ µr thÐ µ norms of rationality, thÐ µ morÐ µ Ð µnÐ µrgy thÐ µ organization will dÐ µvotÐ µ to moving toward cÐ µrtainty† (Thompson, 2003, p. 159). That is, thÐ µ organization is dÐ µvoting a lot of Ð µnÐ µrgy towards cÐ µrtainty, from this pÐ µrspÐ µctivÐ µ, through maintaining a codifiÐ µd training program and a hiÐ µrarchical powÐ µr structurÐ µ. ThÐ µ organization usÐ µd for this rÐ µport is, as mÐ µntionÐ µd, thÐ µ forÐ µign languagÐ µ school. In this organization, of thÐ µ tÐ µaching staff of thÐ µ branch officÐ µ and thÐ µ officÐ µ staff, thÐ µ of ficÐ µ staff is thÐ µ dominant informal powÐ µr coalition. This is bÐ µcausÐ µ thÐ µy havÐ µ much morÐ µ contact with thÐ µ rÐ µgional salÐ µs managÐ µr. ThÐ µ tÐ µachÐ µrs do not havÐ µ any powÐ µr or contact with this sidÐ µ of thÐ µ organization at all rÐ µally, and arÐ µ motivatÐ µd by prizÐ µ incÐ µntivÐ µs, travÐ µl timÐ µ, and othÐ µr mÐ µthods. ThÐ µ sizÐ µ and composition of thÐ µ group is not proportionatÐ µ to thÐ µ numbÐ µr of tÐ µachÐ µrs rÐ µtainÐ µd by thÐ µ branch officÐ µ. ... ThÐ µ most important stakÐ µholdÐ µrs of thÐ µ organization arÐ µ its studÐ µnts. IntÐ µrnally, thosÐ µ non-dominant powÐ µr coalition positions in thÐ µsÐ µ sÐ µctors could also includÐ µ, in thÐ µ Ð µxamplÐ µ of thÐ µ forÐ µign languagÐ µ school, thosÐ µ tÐ µachÐ µrs who arÐ µ sÐ µnt to work at othÐ µr organizations as outsourcing labor, and thosÐ µ who arÐ µ kÐ µpt as thÐ µ corÐ µ tÐ µachÐ µrs of thÐ µ branch, into sÐ µparatÐ µ coalitions of tÐ µachÐ µrs. This is not rÐ µally Ð µffÐ µctivÐ µ, though, bÐ µcausÐ µ most of thÐ µ tÐ µachÐ µrs want to movÐ µ up in thÐ µ organization’s formal powÐ µr structurÐ µ by joining thÐ µ officÐ µ staff as a tÐ µachÐ µr trainÐ µr, thÐ µ lowÐ µst rung on thÐ µ officÐ µ staff laddÐ µr. Thompson (2003) for Ð µxamplÐ µs statÐ µs, â€Å"ThÐ µ Ð µmployÐ µÃ µ who scorÐ µs wÐ µll on a small boundary can Ð µxpÐ µct to bÐ µ visiblÐ µ, intÐ µrnally or Ð µxtÐ µrnally or both, and thus havÐ µ thÐ µ possibility of bargaining for a job at a largÐ µr or morÐ µ critical sÐ µctor of thÐ µ organization or of anothÐ µr organization†¦ such jobs can frÐ µquÐ µntly bÐ µ Ð µntÐ µrÐ µd with common skills† (p. 111). This shows how thÐ µ tÐ µachÐ µr trainÐ µrs and othÐ µr officÐ µ staff mÐ µmbÐ µrs arÐ µ thÐ µ dominant formal powÐ µr coalition in thÐ µ organization’s structurÐ µ, bÐ µcausÐ µ Ð µvÐ µn though thÐ µy arÐ µ outnumbÐ µrÐ µd by thÐ µ tÐ µachÐ µrs, thÐ µy arÐ µ morÐ µ of a stablÐ µ labor pool for thÐ µ organization, bÐ µcausÐ µ it tÐ µnds to havÐ µ high tÐ µachÐ µr turnovÐ µr. TÐ µachÐ µrs arÐ µ paid thÐ µ lÐ µast, of all thÐ µ positions. PÐ µriphÐ µral powÐ µr rÐ µlationships nÐ µÃ µd to bÐ µ mÐ µntionÐ µd in tÐ µrms of thÐ µ tÐ µachÐ µrs of thÐ µ forÐ µign languagÐ µ school. This also involvÐ µs paying attÐ µntion to thÐ µ dominant sÐ µctors which makÐ µ

Teenage Pregnancy as Social and National Issue in the US Coursework

Teenage Pregnancy as Social and National Issue in the US - Coursework Example In the United States, the high rate of adolescent pregnancy has been a cause of social concern for over two decades. The number of teenagers who get pregnant and who become single mothers has been very alarming. The society has recognized it as a problem that has to be dealt with effectively (Armstrong, 2001). To understand this problem, it is necessary to take a step back and see the various reasons as well as the high-risk groups that are involved in the issue. This study explores how teenage pregnancy is a social and national issue in the United States. It also tries to analyze the various reasons that are responsible for adolescent pregnancies in the United States. It is understood that teenage pregnancy also has consequences and implications not only on the individual but on the society as well as the government. This research also tries to understand the various implications that teenage pregnancy has on many different levels.   Furthermore, it also takes a look at the variou s programs that have been undertaken to prevent teenage pregnancy and the various steps adopted to support teenage mothers and their children so that they are assimilated in the society.After the issue of teenage pregnancy came into scrutiny, many research agencies, as well as independent bodies, tried to understand the gravity through empirical research (Moncola et al, 2003). The results of the research were staggering because it was revealed that the United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy among the developed nations of the world. The research done by UNICEF regarding this matter revealed that the rate of adolescent pregnancy is almost double that of Great Britain and 10 times that of Japan. Below is a comparison chart that shows how the United States ranks the highest among the countries that are a part of OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development).

How Langston Hughes exemplifies the African American Essay Example for Free

How Langston Hughes exemplifies the African American Essay Abstract Prejudice is the key feature in the authors theme. He wants to tell away about how people singles out people based on these people appearances, racial background affiliations and social ranking. Harper Lee has done well to show how the stigmatized people are innocent and oblivious of the prejudices against them. It is common knowledge that it’s way off to kill a mocking bird. The mocking bird in Harpers story is Boo Radley. Boo has not indulged in any harmful activities nor hurt anyone across the social Diaspora. However, Boo is looked down upon due to his social rankings and looks. However, Harper is also determined to show that prejudice is not in any way such a big deal in a sidelined person’s life. He shows courage and human dignity. This is well understood from the actions and feelings of Boo Radley. Prejudice, the self and the Character of Boo To Kill a Mockingbird identifies Arthur Radley as a courageous person. He saw evil in people who committed evil; he sought after positive projections in the society and wished better life for everyone. He is a patriotic and wonderful person. We identify perception about him through the children, they though he was evil based on the rumor ‘he struck his parent with scissors and wiped the bloody scissors with his pants which means he attempted murdering them These rumors scare Jem and Scout and make them eye Boo suspiciously. He is a fearful figure but confident. His character shows self assuredness and focus. Boo is mockingbird, he knows it and is keen on projecting himself as a steadfast and good citizen though looked down as an outcast of Maycomb. Boo has courage and hope. He has been locked away in his house just like Tom who was accused of rape (Lee, 195). Similar prejudices befall Boo, he saves Atticus children and no one looks at if it as anything of importance. However Lee advices against this in pg 90 when he says ‘Shoot all the blue jays you want, if u can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’ (Lee 90). Â  Killing a mocking bird is also seen when the sheriff is not honest about the death of Bob Ewell. Ewell was stabbed as Boo tried to save Atticus kids. Boo is not convicted for his good deed since the sheriff declares that Ewell fell on his knife and died. Boo indeed sacrificed himself for Jem and Scout. People in Maycomb make wild allegations about him just because he doest seem fit to be one of them. However, we see perseverance, a lot of tolerance and a focus to remain loyal and committed to do good things in Boo. In spite of this prejudice, he serves and helps people. He is kind and a role model. In the book Lee exemplifies these attributes through Boo wrapping a blanket on Scout (Lee p.46). Â  Boo is also charged with the rape of Mayella Ewell. This is an indication of prejudice, but he doesn’t seem to be in bad terms with his detractors. He is focused on being positive minded. The burning of Maudie’s house is another picturesque that projects the good side of Boo. Boo pities, feels and seeks after doing good rather than watch and laugh as people enjoy ruin Conclusion A mocking bird is more of a social asset rather than a mocking object. We should have a very positive attitude towards people, stop being racist and quit playing apartheid practices. Boo exemplifies exemplary behavior and showcases respect to elders and all other social members without prejudice. We should uphold and force it down to our children and emulate positive attitudes as exemplified by Boo Source Lee Harper (1930)To Kill a Mockingbird

Analysis of the Movie Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee :: Do the Right Thing Spike Lee Racism Essays

Analysis of the Movie Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee The movie, Do the Right Thing, by Spike Lee is a hard hitting drama that deals with violence and racism in today's society. This film is set in a primarily black neighborhood in close to the present time. Right in the center of this neighborhood stands a pizza parlor that is owned and operated by one of the most important characters in the movie, Sal. In the beginning of the movie, Sal is shown arriving to work with his two sons Pino and Vito. This gives an appeal to Sal as a family man. Right from the start Sal is portrayed as a hard working, kind, and devoted individual. Just the fact that he owns his own business in these rough and tough times shows that he is a smart, efficient, and dedicated man. Later in the movie we learn that Sal did in fact build his pizzeria by himself from the ground up, brick by brick, board by board which was no little task indeed. The fact that Sal gets to share his creation and hard work with his sons makes it all the more special to him. After Sal has finished his pre-opening preparations Sal's Pizzeria is open for the day. Shortly after this, the main character of the movie, Mookie, comes strolling into the restaurant. Mookie works as the delivery man for Sal in this movie. Mookie literally delivers pizza, yes, but he also acts as a mediator between the two races. Sal relies on Mookie not only to get the pizzas delivered, but to also keep his fellow black folks happy with Sal so they will come and patronize his restaurant. I think that this shows a very interesting side of Sal. It for the most part pawns him off as a racist. On the one hand he can put on a happy face and greet all the black people as they shell their hard earned money out to him for his pizza, while on the other hand he turns into a bigot, hating most black people and talking behind their back while they are not around. Now I say most black people because Sal seems to have this father-son bond going on between him and Mookie where Sal is the white father and Mookie the black son who in the end finally rebels like all siblings do at some time in their life. Also Sal seems to have some kind of affection or love for Mookie's sister, Jade. When she enters the pizza parlor Sal insists, if not begs to

Discipline and the Effects on the Unit

Discipline and the effects on the unit Accountabilities is one of the fundamental of the military. It only brings personal responsibility but it also shows organization of a unit. There are many reasons why being on time is important. The US Army depends solely on its soldiers, enlisted. Warrant officers, and commissioned officers alike. The military would not be anything without the soldiers. When soldiers aren’t there to perform there duties or they are late then the unit looses efficiency. Time management is a very large part of success, military or civilian. Many people could improve there lives drasticly if they knew how to manage the time properly. Setting priorities is a very important step in time management. If your priorities aren’t set in order then you won’t get the important things done in a timely manner. People often go over there time limits because they are optimistic. Discipline we are taught early in our military careers that shaving is an important part of our daily routine. The routine itself promotes a sense of regularity and discipline. By being assigned a task that we are to perform daily, we assume a pattern of living comparable with many other (and often larger) tasks given to us. When a part of our job considered to be mandatory becomes a task performed out of second nature, we begin to perform all duties in a similar fashion. If you can shave every morning without having to be reminded or told, you may find that it comes just as naturally to take out the trash, write a monthly counseling statement, or maintain your weapon. Discipline and respect are important in life as well as in the army. Respect is one of the army’s seven values. The seven army values are loyalty, respect, duty, honor, selfless service, integrity, and personal courage. While respect is one of the army values, discipline is needed for all of them. You must have discipline in yourself in order to have selfless service, to do your duty, to have personal courage, as well as loyalty, and honor. And it takes a discipline to respect. The definition of discipline is 1. training to act in accordance with rules; drill: military discipline. 2. activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training: A daily stint at the typewriter is excellent discipline for a writer. . punishment inflicted by way of correction and training. 4. the rigor or training effect of experience, adversity, etc. : the harsh discipline of poverty. 5. behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and control: good discipline in an army. 6. a set or system of rules and regulations. 7. Ecclesiastical . the system of governme nt regulating the practice of a church as distinguished from its doctrine. 8. an instrument of punishment, esp. a whip or scourge, used in the practice of self-mortification or as an instrument of chastisement in certain religious communities. . a branch of instruction or learning: the disciplines of history and economics. Basically discipline is what is needed in order for order and control to be maintained. The definition of respect is 1. A feeling of appreciative, often deferential regard; esteem. See synonyms at regard. 2. The state of being regarded with honor or esteem. 3. Willingness to show consideration or appreciation. 4. respects Polite expressions of consideration or deference: pay one's respects. 5. A particular aspect, feature, or detail. A lot of people who enlist in the Army do not understand the importance of the step they make. They do not understand that civilian life with its rules, the life they used to live is left behind. Beginning basic training they learn the new discipline, the Army discipline, and not everybody is able to comprehend its importance. Discipline in the Army is important because of the stakes involved. In civilian world a lack of discipline may case some discomfort or may be some problems with the law.. In the Army poor discipline could result in the unnecessary loss of soldiers’ lives – a cost too you much to pay. As a discipline soldier you place the unit’s mission above your personal welfare. It simply means the understanding your task and obeying orders promptly because your fellow soldiers and leaders depend on you to do so. The purpose of discipline is to make soldiers to be well trained so that they carry out orders quickly and intelligently under the most difficult conditions. Insistence of performing tasks properly enhance military discipline. For example, ensuring soldiers wear their uniforms properly, following orders, march well or repeat tasks until they do them correctly are part of military discipline. This no harassment or punishment. Proper and prompt execution of orders will save lives in combat. This is no way means you should not exercise initiative to solve a problem or to ensure the job gets done. American soldiers have a long tradition of displaying initiative and discipline soldiers focus their efforts toward the success of the team. Discipline in routine things like saluting , police calls and physical training leads to discipline in the difficult things like advancing under fire, disposing of unexploded ordnance, and safeguarding enemy prisoners of war. That is why the Army insists on training to standards. It starts with self-discipline but grows with pride in the unit. In the film saving private ryan a soldier lost his discipline for the mission at hand at the sight of a frightened child and the result for his loss of discipline caused him to also lose focus on his surroundings and was shot by a nazi sniper hiding out in a tower just down the street, also in the same film a young corpral was takin out of his comfort zone as a writer to perform the mission of retrieving private ryan. During the mission they came across an open area guarded by to machine guns and in the success of bringing bringing down the gunman was torn in a moral delima to let the German soldier live and later on it came back around on him as that same German soldier led a squad to the same location that they traveled to and killed many of the men in the operation two of which were in a building laying down suppressive fire while the corpral was bringing them ammo because of the corpral lack of discipline he coward down and hid while the German soldier killed the two men in the building. Another military film that shows lack of discipline is Jarhead in this film the one scene that stands out the most in my mind is where the main character talks another fellow soldier into taking his guard shift so he could drink with his buddys that night and the result from the carless actions was a trailor caught fire and a bunch of fireworks and flares were set off and possibly gave away there position, the sitiuation could have been a lot worse then what it was. With the examples used from those two films it shows that with the lack of discipline the effect on the unit can be dangerous and life threatning, just like a chain it only works properlly if every link does its job, if one gets in trouble we all get in trouble, one broken link and the whole chain is no good Do to my irresponsibility and lack of discipline to wake up and be at the gym at 0530 like normal I decided to sleep in and then was late to the 0630 PT formation which caused PFC Bucini to run around through out the entire hanger and out to the barracks in order to locate me and also me being late not just looks bad on me but it also looks bad on the platoon and the company. I made it look bad on my Platoon Seargeat ( SFC Duffy) in front of the other platoons of not knowing where his soldiers are and to the First Seargeant. To understand how standards and discipline are related, you have to start with the basic premise of how we grow sergeants in the army. This is a three step p rocess. Step one; establish a standard. Army regulation 670-1, wear of the uniform, is a stadard that tells us how to wear the uniform, items on the uniform and all the accessories. It guides our unifor in the field. The items we wear on the uniform or carry with us is a standard usually IAW a unit SOP. The PMCS we perform on our hummv in the motor pool is done to outlined in the operators manual. A patrol of soldiers coming off mission in Baghdad, Iraq clear their weapons upon entering their base camp IAW the standard published in the weapons handling procedures developed by the safety center. Now with an understanding of standards, step two is put someone in charge of enforcing the standards. This is where the sergeant is now responsible for his or her piece of the army, those three or four soldiers. It is the sergeant who conducts daily inspections of soldiers uniforms. It is the sergeant who conducts pre-conduct checks (pcc) of his or her soldiers arms and equipment before going out on patrol. It is the sergeant who supervises the PMCS of the HUMMV during maintenance periods, and it is the sergent who over-watches the soldiers coming off patrol to ensure all have cleared their weapons to standard. Step three in growing our leaders is to hold the sergeant accountable. This is where the more senior leaders above the sergeant have their resopnsibility. To see what is being done to standard, senior leaders have to inspect. A soldier on patrol missing a piece of equipment means it was missed during PCCs by the sergeant and obviously missed by a more senior leader during the pre-combat inspection (PCI). This same analogy extends to every standard we set for our units and our sergeants to enforce. So for the more senior leaders above the sergeant you must always remember your role in growing sergeants. Lead by example by demonstrating the standard in all that you do. This leading by example empowers the sergeant to enforce standards on their small piece of the army. We have always said when a more senior leader demonstrates a lesser standard; this demonstration now becomes the new standard. The demonstration of a lesser standard goes far deeper than just setting a new standard, it circumvents the authority of the sergeant. I have learned that the two basic building blocks for a sergeant to establish his or her authority and establish discipline in the organization begin with basic uniform and saluting standards. Enforcing basic standards and holding sergeants accountable for their soldiers is critical to developing these young leaders. In every case where a soldier has died because of an accident and the cause of death was negligence by sergeants to enforce standards and how these were enforced and the discipline within the organization. In every case where the sergeant stops enforcing fundamental standards and senior leaders do not hold him accountable, the enforcement of standards in other areas begins to slip. Short cuts in performing PMCS begin to become routine, soldiers stop wearing seatbelts, PCCs are not performed in detail, complacency begins to set in and sergeants stop making on the spot corrections. The importance of the squad and platoon leadership in establishing standards and holding sergeants accountable is critical to the performance of the organization when you walk into an organization as an outsider and you see everyone in the same uniform, vehicle load plans are organized, basic fundamental drills are performed aas routine, you learn a lot about the units discipline. You know as an outsider that standards are established, everyone knows the standard, and there is a leader in charge. The bottom line , be the standard, know the standard, and enforce the standard. The army is an old institution. In this country it dates back to the washingtons time in 1775-76 when the Revolutionary war took place to proclaim our freedom from the British. One particular thing which washingtons army had in common with our modern army today is discipline. This is very important in order to keep ou forces organized. A well disciplined army will always come out the victor in battle. Take a look at musolini’s army in italy in the last war. When the going got tough, their troops got disorganized, failed to obey orders, and finally decided it was time to surrender. And so it happened with Hitler’s Third Reich. His troops got disorganized from the lack of proper discipline and as the proverb goes, â€Å"united we stand, divided we fall†. The Third Reich fell. Our american army is a well organized fighting force and always will be, with the proper kind of discipline which we have now. The officers in charge of each army, corps, division, regiment, down to the platoon and squad are all experienced , level headed men and women, whose job it is to keep the men and women under them disciplined as well as informed as to what is goin on and thereby gaining the men’s and womens cooperation. From the five star general down to the lowly private, it is his duty to see that whatever his job is, it will be done properly. With such a fighting force, how can we lose? Remember â€Å"united we stand, devided we fall†. We shall not fall. With so many distractions around you, what does it take to stay focused on your goal and keep going until you succeed? The answer is, self discipline. Self discipline, absolutely must be developed in order to succeed. Self discipline is the ability to force yourself to do something you know you should do, whether you feel like it or not. Whilst you may not have a global corporation or a country to run (and so can probably get away with a few extra hours in bed! ) the point is, successful people dislike the same things you dislike but discipline themselves to do it anyway. Why do we do things we dislike? Because we know that is the price to pay for success. This is why self discipline is so important in achieving success. Self discipline means overcoming your natural urge to do what is fun, easy and quick. Self discipline takes time to develop, but just like any other skill the more you practice using self discipline the stronger it will become. Every act of self discipline you practice will strengthen your level of self discipline. Over time it will also strengthen your character, confidence and self esteem. If you can force yourself to do what you should do, whether you feel like it or not, your success is virtually guaranteed. Now that you are aware of what it takes to be successful, is success what you truly want? Or are you happier living the lif you currently live? Because if you want success, you can have it, anyone can. Just like in a shop you must first decide what you want, pay the price and it will be yours. â€Å"discipline is the soul of the army, it makes small numbers formidable procures success to the weak, and esteem to all† –George Washington. Among the many issues facing us, discipline proved critical in understanding what went wrong in Somalia. Much of the problem of the CAR as a unit, most of the incidents that occurred during the preparation stage in Canada, and the many troubling incidents involving Canadian soldiers in Somalia all have a common origin – a lack of discipline. For the ordinary citizen who has little exposure to the military, discipline is understood to be the cornerstone of armies, the characteristic that one would have expected to be much in evidence in an armed force as renowned for its professionalism as the Canadian forces. It was the difference between this public expectation and the actual events of the Somalia mission that captured the attention of Canadians and contributed to the call for this inquiry. For example, there were 20 incidents of accidental or negligent discharge of a personal weapon and two incidents of accidental or negligent discharge of crew served weapons in theatre. One caused an injury and another killed a Canadian forces soldier. The board of inquiry into the leadership, discipline, operations, actions, and procedures of the Canadian airborne regiment battle group remarked that these accidental discharges occurred â€Å"to an unacceptable degree†. These incidents call into question the standard of self discipline in the Canadian contingent. Few professions are as dependent on discipline as the military. An army is best seen as a collection of individuals who must set aside their personal interests, concerns, and fears to pursue the purpose of the group collectively. The marshalling of individual wills and talents into a single entity enables an army to face daunting challenges and great adversity and therefore to achieve objectives unattainable except through concerted effort. The instrument by which this is accomplished is discipline. The chief purpose of military discipline is the harnessing of the capacity of the individual to the needs of the group. The sense of cohesion that comes from combining the individual wills of the group members provides unity of purpose. The group that achieves such cohesiveness is truly a unit. Effective discipline is a critical factor at all levels of the military, and nowhere more so than at the unit level. However discipline plays a vital role at all levels within the military. Too frequently armies treat discipline as a concern regarding the lower levels: a matter to be attended to primarily by non commissioned officers at the unit level and below. But discipline is important for the proper functioning of the chain of command throughout the military. Undisciplined staff officers of commanders who hold themselves above the rigours of discipline can do far more harm to the collective effort of the military than any soldier in the rankes. We have determined that the CAR displayed definite signs of poor discipline in the early 1990s in spite of the remedies recommended in the 1985 Hewson report examining disciplinary infractions and anti social behavior. A number of factors contributed to the disciplinary problems in the CAR, specifically in two commando, prior to deployment, including periodic lack of commitment on the part of the CAR’s parent regiments to ensure that their best members ere sent to the CAR; the inferior quality of some junior officers and NCOs; doubtful practices in two commando in the recruitment of NCOs; the ambiguous relationship between master corporals and soldiers; the high turnover rate within the CA R and the sub units; mutual distrust and dislike among a significant number of the CARs officers and NCOs; questionable suitability of individual officers for the CAR and the ranks they occupied; a tendency to downplay the significance of disciplinary infractions or to cover them up entirely; and the continuing ability of CAR members to evade responsibility for disciplinary infractions. The CAR was simply unfit to undertake a mission in the autumn of 1992, let alone a deployment to Somalia. The three incidents of October 2 and 3, 1992, indicated a significant breakdown of discipline in 2 commando during the critical period of training and preparation for operations in Somalia. Military pyrotechnics were discharged illegally at a party in alognquin park. The illegal possession of these pyrotechnics was the result of theft from DND and the making of false statements. A search conducted on the soldiers’ premises uncovered ammunition stolen from DND, as well as 34 Confederate flags. These incidents were so serious that LCOL morneault proposed to leave 2 Commando in Canada unless the perpetrators came forward. BGEN Beno, after consulting MGEN MacKenzie, opposed this plan. Almost everyone suspected of participating in the October incidents was permitted to deploy. Several of these individuals created difficulties in Somalia. In spite of established doctrine, practice, and procedures, there were problems at the senior levels of the chain of command in providing adequate supervision, resulting in poor discipline, fualty passage of information, untimely reaction through advice or intervention, and ineffective remedial action. Such problems appear to have been so frequent as to indicate a significant systemic failure in the exercise of command. In short, the attitude of all ranks toward the importance of good discipline, from junior soldiers to the most senior commanders in the Canadian forces, was decidedly weak. When there is insufficient respect for and attention to the need for discipline as a first principle, military operations can be expected to fail. And in respect of discipline, the mission to Somalia was undoubtedly a failure. The fact is that , at the time of the Somalia mission, discipline was simply taken for granted. It seems to have been assumed that trained soldiers in a professional military would naturally be well disciplined. The matter was tracked and reported on indifferently and inconsistently, with no central co-ordination or sharp focus at the highest levels. Above all, discipline was the subject of inadequate attention, supervision, guidance, enforcement, or remedy by the senior levels of the chain of command; it was, shockingly, simply ignored or downplayed. In facing the future, the first requirement is to take steps to recognize the importance of discipline and the role it must play as a matter of fundamental policy. Discipline requires not only policy definition and emphasis in doctrine, training and education, but also a prominent and visible focus in the interests and concerns of the most senior leadership. Under the UCMJ, the noncommissioned officer (NCO) does not have the same authority as the commissioned officer. Principally, NCOs do not have authority to punish personnel under their supervision. Punishment is administered only through the use of article 15 or courts-martial. Since NCOs punitive authority, what actions can they take to ensure discipline among their people? These questions will be answered as we consider the need for discipline in the military. I will focus on the NCOs role in dealing with discipline problems. If preventive techniques fail, NCOs should be aware of methods available to them for correcting subordinates when their behavior impairs mission accomplishment. Indeed the NCO plays an important role in influencing punishment when it is necessary in achieving mission readiness. Discipline can best be defined as â€Å"a state of training, resulting in orderly conduct. † This state of training must be achieved and maintained during peacetime so that our forces will be prepared for war time contingencies. It is too late to prepare for war once war has started, which is sometimes a difficult concept for lesser experienced NCOs to accept. often the feeling is, we are a technical force; technicians do not need to same state of disciplined readiness as combat soldiers. This feeling perhaps fosters a false assumption that air force members will not be expected to fight during wartime; instead, we will maintain a support role (i. e. , aircraft maintenance, supply, personnel, etc). the questions then become â€Å"is it necessary for air force people to maintain a high state of readiness? Is it really necessary to be disciplined for war? These questions must be answered by all NCOs who are ultimately responsible for achieving success in peacetime readiness as well as in actual warfare. History shows us that we cannot leave this state of readiness to pure chance; we must prepare for any emergency. Discipline, of course, is vital. Rudyard kipling recognized this need for discipline when he had one of his tommy atkinses explain: We was rotten ‘for we started- we was never disciplined; we made it out a favor- if an order was obeyed. Yes every little drummer ad is rights and wrongs to mind, so we had to par for teaching- and we paid! General George patton, a strong disciplinarian who was equally as adamant about preparedness, told his commanders if they did not enforce and maintain perfect discipline, they were potential murders. He went on to say â€Å"that is a blunt way of putting it, but war is blunt, and war is what we must all prepare for. † General Robert E. Lee, one of the greatest military leaders of all time, was equally firm when it came to discipline. He wanted his soldiers to understand that, in addition to efficiency, discipline guaranteed a soldiers safety; that if his forces did not prepare themselves for war when they had a chance they would pay dearly. The Air Force, recognizing the need for discipline, published AFR 30-1 air force standards, in which four types of discipline are identified: task, group, imposed, and self. Task discipline is defined as how well we meet the challenges of the job. First, we must recognize that the job is important, and how well we perform will influence the effectiveness of our work section and our unit. Task discipline requires a strong sense of responsibility in performing our jobs to the best of our abilities, volunteering for the tough jobs, and working overtime, if necessary, to accomplish our mission as it relates to the air force mission. Group discipline means teamwork. Since most air force jobs require that several people work effectively as a team, group discipline is very important. Just as we must have a sense of responsibility to our job, we should also have a sense of group responsibility and effective team membership. We must pull our own weight and at times we may have to deny some personal preferences for the good of our work section, unit, or group. Imposed discipline is known as enforced obedience to legal orders and regulations. It is absolutely essential in combat or in emergencies when there is no time to explain or discuss an order. Most air force training teaches us to carry out orders quickly and efficiently. During peacetime, a continuation of this type of discipline provides the structure and good order necessary throughout the organization to accomplish the mission or task, regardless of the situation. Self discipline is a willing and instinctive sense of responsibility that leads us to do whatever needs to be done. Getting to work on time, knowing all aspects of the job, setting priorities, and denying some personal preferences for more important values or duties are all measures of self discipline. Far above our acceptance of imposed discipline, self discipline reflects our personal commitment and sense of duty. Often we emphasize one type of discipline at the expense of another. For instance, we allow ourselves to become so task disciplined that we fail to recognize the necessity for discipline of other types. The ultimate solution for the NCO is to create an environment where the necessity for imposed discipline is minimized or eliminated, but this is not always possible. Therefore, we must understand how to impose discipline when it is clearly indicated. Three general approaches can be taken in dealing with discipline: the preventive approach, the corrective approach, and the punitive approach. Initial consideration should be given to the preventive approach because it is logically first and is positive and constructive in its development. The preventive approach includes understanding human behavior, using good management and leadership techniques, setting the examples, and enforcing the standards. These are not all inclusive; however, they represent the majority of preventive techniques to discipline problems. There are numerous lessons in dealing with preventive techniques, and most of our NCOs fully understand these techniques for preventing discipline problems. Organizations usually have a few people who do not respond well to preventive techniques, which leads us to the next approach in dealing with discipline problems: correcting the individual who has not responded to preventive techniques. The NCO supervisor is limited in his use of preventive and corrective approaches, since only officer commanders can use the punitive approach. This fact alone creates the undeniable necessity for NCOs to understand and employ fully the corrective actions available to them. The first action available to NCOs for correcting individuals who have not responded to preventive techniques is the verbal reprimand. Verbal reprimands should be given only for performance or conduct and should never leave an individual feeling personally attacked. In other words, individuals should be reprimanded for unacceptable behavior not personality. A memorandum for record should be kept to be used for later action, if necessary. The second corrective action is the documented counseling. The documented counseling does not have to follow any prescribed format; in fact, most major air commands have their own forms. Individuals reviewing subsequent case files will have a better understanding of the situation if they include the following items: a statement of the problem, a discussion of the problem, and personal observations. This documented counseling should be filed in a general correspondence folder, marked specifically with the action included in the folder (i. e. , disciplinary action). The third corrective action NCOs can take is the letter of admonishment/reprimand. Administrative reprimands and admonitions are management tools available to commanders, supervisors, and other superiors to instruct and reprove subordinates for departing from acceptable norms of performance, conduct, or bearing. There is no prescribed format for writing this letter. A reprimand is more severe than an admonition and carries a strong implication of official censure. The letter of admonition should be written when no unfavorable information file is necessary, although either the letter of admonition or reprimand can be placed in the individuals uif. The letter of admonition may also be filed in the same manner as the documented counseling. However, since the letter of reprimand is more severe than a letter of admonition, it should be forwarded through the individuals uif. Supervisors can write a letter of reprimand, but only commanders can forward it to the cbpo for placement in the uif. The last and final action is administrative discharge action under the provisions of AFR 39-10 or AFM 39-12. These procedures are too complex to address in this article. However, it should be pointed out that if all the preceding preventive, corrective, and punitive actions have not disciplined the individual, then discharge is the next step.

Cutural Awareness cultural differences

In today’s society, it is important that a person knows how to respect other people’s culture and what they need and what they like to eat since their culture may be a little different than what a certain person lived up to. If a company becomes sensitive and complies with the needs of its client, the amount of customers will double and it gain more profits in the end. Other cultures do not eat meat, like the Muslims. They only eat meat that undergoes the process of Halal. Halal is a process that Muslims do before killing an animal fit to be eaten.They pray to Allah and ask him to bless their meat before they can partake of it, â€Å"The name of Allah has to be mentioned before or during slaughtering, since the Creator is the granter and taker of life; the name must be said by a member of the Moslem faith† (Meat Science at Texas A&M University). Investors also have to think of ways to present their products to the public, if they want to advertise their products beside celebrities and famous people, or if they want to advertise their products with facts and people who can prove that the products they are selling are healthy.They also have to take note of how their customers react to female management. In some countries, they still do not view women as men’s equal, and if they would advertise using a female figure, the business might not attract as many customers as the company assume they would. In every business, an investor wants to invest in foreign land; he/she has to think of a strategy thoroughly and weigh the consequences of his/her actions.In a decision, investors must include the culture of their target area and incorporate their bestsellers into it while presenting them in ways where people would want to buy their products at an instant. Incorporating the company’s products to customer’s culture Before companies could incorporate their products to customers' culture, they should research on what the clientâ₠¬â„¢s culture is. If the clients are Jews or a Muslims, they are most likely not to eat pork, and if they eat meat, a certain process is made before they could view the meat edible.A company would gain more Muslim and Jew customers if it hires a consultant who will give it further knowledge on how they want their sandwiches to be, it could also learn more about their culture and analyze what is good or what they can incorporate with their bestsellers. That consultant should be able to tell them how they can make the meat edible for Muslims and Jews; the company should know how to make meat a Halal and Kosher. In some parts of the US, the impact of having Muslims in their area increases the consumption of sheep and goat.It is because the Muslims prefer eating them rather than pork and beef, â€Å"Many sheep and goats are slaughtered in Muslim backyards during various celebrations† (Meat Science at Texas A&M University). If companies like Subway incorporates Halal and Kosher me at in their menu, it would definitely benefit them in the future, since their menu would no longer exclude people who have different culture. The Muslims and Jews who are not used to buying their products will want to buy and eat their product without second guessing or feeling guilty because of their culture's restrictions.Incorporating the company’s view to target area’s culture In other countries, some people do not like the concept of selling products that incorporate their advertisements with intercourse, like how Carlse Jr. has presented its products. Christians in particular think that the advertisement of Carlse Jr. is a disgrace and instead of gaining customers, it has lost some due to its advertisement. Although Carlse Jr. did not gain the Christian community and those who do not want â€Å"dirty† advertising, it has gained those who appreciate and like seeing their favorite celebrity devour hamburgers.Some people even think that the way Carlse Jr. adv ertised their product was ingenious, â€Å"Despite protests from parent watchdog groups, like The Parents Television Council, this is just plain smart marketing in today’s world† (Kiley 2005). Other countries do not even recognize female authority. The company would have a hard time giving women higher positions because there are still societies that view men superior to women and giving a managerial position to a female would mean that the company is disobeying the country’s culture.Some people in society do not even recognize discrimination against women because that is the way they were brought up, that is why the workplace often deal with discrimination, â€Å"Gender stereotypes lie at the heart of many of our perceptions of the workplace and the people that operate within it† (Heilman & Welle 3). Discrimination in hiring due to gender must be demolished. If companies comply with society’s culture of pushing women down, it will never change. Co mpanies must fight the norm and even if they lose a few customers, at least the moral of the company would remain. Today, equality is sought out by many.The company might lose people who discriminate women, but they would surely gain people who are for equality. Conclusion If a company like Subway patterned their management to a society whose culture is discriminative of women, they would definitely gain that society but lose customers who view men and women equally. But if a company like Subway chooses to adopt the culture of people and use Halal and Kosher meat, Subway would expand their usual customers. In the end, the company should only choose to adapt to cultures that would not hurt any one or discriminate because it could lose more than it can gain.Works cited â€Å"Kosher and Halal†. Meat Science at Texas A&M University. May 20, 2010. Web. Kiley, David. â€Å"Carl's Jr Paris Hilton Ad Spicey and Smart. † May 25, 2005. Bloomberg Businessweek. May 20, 2010. Web. Heilman, Madeline E. and Welle, Brian. ‘Formal and Informal Discrimination Against Women at Work: The Role of Gender Stereotypes' in Research in social issues in management: Managing social and ethical issues in organizations. Vol. 5. Westport,

buy custom American multinational corporation essay

buy custom American multinational corporation essay PepsiCo is an American multinational corporation that formed in 1965 with the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, Inc. and deals with production, marketing, and distribution of beverages and grain based snack foods. PepsiCo has its headquarters in Harrison, New York with its presence in four major divisions (PepsiCo Inc., 2010). In 2009, PepsiCo Americas Foods, which deals in foods and snacks in North and South America, contributed 43% of the total PepsiCo net profit (PepsiCo Inc., 2010).. There is also PepsiCo America Beverages, a division that markets both carbonated and non-carbonated beverages in North and South America. Other divisions include PepsiCo Europe and PepsiCo Asia, Middle East and Africa. Globally, the company is the second largest food and beverages company and it operates in more than 200 countries (Marshall, 2010). In 2009, PepsiCo collected total revenue of $43.3 billion, and was rated the largest food and beverages company in North America. Pepsi Corporation distributes a number of brands, the key ones being those that generate annual sales of more than $1 billion each. These brands include Pepsi-Cola, 7Up, Fritos Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Doritos, Pepsi Max, Quaker Foods, Tropicana Cheetos, Miranda, Ruffles, Aquafina, Tostitos, Sierra Mist, Walkers, and Lays Lipton (UBM, 2010). Amid distribution of the brands, PepsiCo engages in charitable activities and environmental conservation programs like water usage in U.S, India and U.K, packaging and recycling, energy usage as well as pesticide regulation in India to ensure that the environment and the available resources are utilized properly. PepsiCos advancement in ecommerce has been evident, and that is the focus of this report (Romanik, 2007). Project and Its Place within the Organization Changing to ecommerce involves fully understanding the normal offline transactions and applying the principals of electronic funds transfer and electronic data interchange. Ecommerce also includes Internet marketing and inventory management systems through the World Wide Web, especially for virtual items. Changing to ecommerce entails complete overhaul of marketing techniques to accommodate new internet marketing strategies, electronic payments and training of employees to match the new electronic commerce and business. PepsiCos adoption of ecommerce led to the collaboration with Yahoo. In the deal, PepsiCo would promote Yahoo on 1.5 billion soft drinks bottles displayed in 50,000 stores (Business Day, 2000). In return, Yahoo would promote PepsiCo products on Yahoo cobranded site called Pepsistuff.com (Gerstman Meyers, 2002). This promotion started in August 2000 and has since led to advertisement cost minimization due to its ability to reach more people at ago through the website (Business Day, 2000). What does not work, according to Burwick, PepsiCos former marketing manager, is an advertising approach on television that in his view only entertains and moves. However, Burwick notes that internet advertisement on the website provides a platform for interaction, which is a more active experience that is likely to have a more positive impact on sales (Business Day, 2000). This web advertisement that included music sites, banner advertisement and internet sweepstakes and barter arrangement with Yahoo, helped PepsiCo establish loyalty among its customers, greater brand exposure among its consumers under 25 years old and at the same time obtained relevant data that enabled the company respond to customer demands. Pepsi also uses the extranet strategy where customers flash their names and continue the marketing efforts of tweaking websites. Other than its websites, PepsiCo has currently upheld its ecommerce strategy on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, which are social sites that provide interaction opportunities for millions of potential customers around the world. This has helped improve popularity of the corporations 19 major brands in all the four regions, and contributed to the revenue collected in 2009. Marketing the products plays a very important role in the consumer goods companies that consume $40 billion annually on non-internet advertising. Ecommerce in this regard plays a vital role in marketing, distribution, supply chain management, ordering and delivering of the products to the clients in all the four major regions. This strategy helps PepsiCo eliminate intermediaries in its business since consumers can order products directly. The company can also use banners on top of web pages to convey the information about its products. However, this has been eliciting responses that banners are too small and limit th e amount of information that can be conveyed through them. Besides Pepsistuff.com, PepsiCo also uses its website in providing information to all its customers and potential customers on the available products and the ordering and purchasing procedures as well as the charges involved for deliveries (Gerstman Meyers, 2002). The strategy of e-business is multifarious, is more focused on these internal processes (Romanik, 2007). Its objective is to reduce costs while improving efficiency, as well as reducing costs while improving productivity. E-business includes ecommerce, and both address internal processes and technological infrastructure like application servers, security, databases, and legacy systems. E-commerce and e-business involve generating new value chains amid stakeholders, such as a company like PepsiCo and its clients. Original Business Model Employed By PepsiCo PepsiCo initially used non-internet advertisement that included high impact television spots that were prepared to evoke emotional reaction among its customers, appealing to woe customers to purchase. The company also minimally used PowerPoint presentations of its products to that are flashed on the websites. According to Hill Jones (2008), PepsiCo changed its business model and the manner in which it differentiated its product. Before adoption of the ecommerce initiative, PepsiCo fully depended on five regions that include North America, South America, Europe, and Asia regions (including India) in manufacturing, marketing, and delivering. These activities constituted manual offline transactions (Heinecke, 2011). Any changes to the business model ere necessitated by introduction of the e-Business initiative. The marketing, ordering, inventory management strategies, and the payment methods changed to adopt ecommerce methods. These necessitated change in PepsiCos organization structure and reduction of marketing staff and the cost of advertisement reduced by nearly 20% in 2010 (Heinecke, 2011). Through e-business, PepsiCo was able to effectively cut human errors and evade uneconomical duplications of duties that add little or no value to the business. Consequently, this saved the company business time, colossal amounts of resources. The introduction of ecommerce into PepsiCo also improved the speed, accuracy, and efficiency in which processes are carried out in the corporation, leading to increased productivity. E-business guarantees proficiency in communication within PepsiCo and reduces turnaround time in ordering, delivery, and payment of products, as well as fostering faster decision-making process. The networking brought about by the use of Internet services gave PepsiCo an opportunity to easily compare and rate its products against those from its competitors in terms of quality, availability, and pricing. Strategic Components of E-business Planning for the changeover to e-business from the offline business is a strategic component that determines the success of the ecommerce strategy. It involves action plans that include making available the amount of capital required, trained human resource, information technology skills, technology hardware, such as computers and internet connections. This component of e-business dictates the decision on implementation methods and tools used in the changeover, depending on strengths and weaknesses of the business and the opportunities presented by ecommerce according to the vision and mission of the PepsiCo (Cross Miller, 2009). Ecommerce business is an area faced with several risks. Therefore, companies need to understand it well to ensure that they are protected against such risks. PepsiCo faces such risks as well. Some of these risks include loss of merchandise as a result of fraud, misrouting during distribution process to wrong destinations (majorly when the merchants are untrustworthy and untraceable), leading to loss of both goods and money (Cross Miller, 2009). Any businesses adopting ecommerce should ensure that third party merchants are well known, registered, and traceable to curb the loss of customers merchandise and money to potential fraudsters. This is also applicable to the risks of customers disputes of the delivered goods leading to loss of payments. PepsiCo needs to ensure that during ordering, customers provide adequate information to be able to distinguish genuine customers from fraudulent orders. This will reduce the loss money through credit card payments, which poses impacts both on the company and merchants who are forced to pay the bank charges to compensate the losses. Accuracy in processing the transactions remain key to efficient deals to avoid experiencing chargeback costs that also occur when customers dispute the transactions sometimes due to inaccuracy in the amount involved, errors in processing, authorization errors and fraudulent issues. These costs can be avoided if transactions are accurately and efficiently processed. Therefore, this means that the new ecommerce technology should be well understood before the implementation stage takes effect, to be able to seal all the possible loopholes that are likely to give way to losses (Joseph, 2008). Provision of adequate infrastructure system that warns new clients who are not conversant with purchasing on the Internet is important in proving authenticity of the company. These systems should be in a position of protecting clients passwords to sensitive personal information like credit cards to avoid exposure to fraudsters and at the same time authenticate transactions when dealing with fresh cl ients before closing the purchase orders and delivering the products to the customers. Technological components must also be put in place for a company that needs to grow in the modern business environment that is full of competition through the use of high technology machines (Joseph, 2008). The technological platform where e-Business is carried out involves of technologies that have to be tailor-made, tested out and integrated into the business. This component is one of the essential e-business components that include widely approved technological standards and requirements that generate technical procedures and platforms than computers, but can be used to pass information. Technology infrastructure involves reliable Internet connections and adequate machinery, such as computers and browser connections. Technological constituents, such as middleware, are important since they help build broad and complex e-commerce systems. Employee development is strategy that works well for many companies, including PepsiCo. Employees first need to be prepared for the change to avoid unnecessary resistance during the implementation stage. Employee development also involves training workers to be technology compliant and improve their IT skills, which are mandatory in ecommerce having in mind that technology innovation and improvement takes place every time (Shajahan Priyadharshini, 2007). PepsiCo needs to train its clients on how to access information from the companys websites without risking exposing their information to non-deserving people, such as credit card fraudsters. This training can be done through seminars and online information that can be accessed by all existing and potential customers. Many clients are very skeptical when it comes to online purchases due to the widespread Internet fraud and may only be willing to do business with very organized and secure sites. PepsiCo also needs to segment its market during marketing and advertisement of the products. This segmentation can be done in terms of age, social class to provide products that all social groups can afford, and ensuring availability of these products from the distribution stores for the retail customers at all times. Reasons for Success and Of Pepsi Product Differentiation and positioning One reason that has led to the success of Pepsi products iss the differentiation of its brands that have been established and have built customer loyalty in those regions. Product positioning remains vital in building customer loyalty. This can quickly be done through internet marketing, which reaches more people at ago all over the world. Planning and New Technology The companys first strategy involving agreements with Yahoo picked up well and were very successful because of adequate planning, as well as embracing of the new digital technology. Other reasons include adequate planning, employee development, good management kills, infrastructure, and risk management systems. Reasons for Lack of Success and Of Pepsi Fraudulent transactions Fraudulent transactions that have always mired online transactions that make the merchants and clients lose both merchandise and money are the loopholes that have hampered Pepsis success. Thus, they need to be sealed in order to drive businesses to higher levels. Analysis of the PepsiCo Initiative PepsiCo being the second largest food and Beverage Company has very strong financial base, which is enough to implement the ecommerce strategy. Training of employees on the new internet marketing skills, supply chain management, inventory management. Implementation of the ecommerce Technology in PepsiCo involved provision of the computer gadgets and internet connection that to provide necessary platform for the change to e-Business (Shajahan Priyadharshini, 2007). PepsiCo also offered in-house trainings to the staff to be technology compliant ready to execute the ecommerce operations. The major stakeholders of the PepsiCo are the suppliers, customers, government, employees, and the management. The companys consumers need to utilize the ecommerce platform to order and pay for products conveniently, while maintaining and managing internet security risks. The internal control systems that are used to authenticate transactions need to be fully outlined with clear chain of command. The improvement of the technology has also provided good business growth opportunity enhancing PepsiCos strength in the market. The involvement of the society, production of healthy products with low sugar levels favorable for children, guarding them against health and lifestyle related diseases like obesity, diabetes, and the environmental protection projects, gave PepsiCo business advantage over its competitors, such as the Coca-Cola company. PepsiCo does this by converting its product portfolio, forming global initiatives like calorie labeling to increase nutrition education, and backup up programs that promote physical fitness centers (Romanik, 2007). Responsible Electronic Marketing In the ecommerce, PepsiCo has adopted a responsible electronic marketing strategy that teaches children that good eating habits at an earlier age contribute to their future health. PepsiCo adopted a policy in 2009 not to advertise and sell certain products that do not meet specific nutrition level to children under age 12. The policy took effect in 2009 for beverages globally and all snacks and food in the whole world on January 1, 2011. Pepsi plans to stop selling full sugar soft drinks directly to primary and secondary schools across the world by 2012. This policy is to help schools to provide a wider range of low-calorie and nutritious beverages to their students in primary and secondary schools (Ferrell Ferrell, 2010). PepsiCo plans to implement this policy fully by January 1, 2012 and it has announced this interest on the Internet. PepsiCo does not currently sell directly to primary and secondary schools full calorie drinks in Europe, Canada, and a number of countries in the Arabian Peninsula (Ferrell Ferrell, 2010). Currently the use of iPhone has spread to users many including school going children who can easily access the information. For this reason, PepsiCo implements the responsible e-marketing strategy to ensure that information reaches the only relevant people. Reasons for Not Adopting the Ecommerce In as much as technology is acceptable, many online clients have since withdrawn from transacting businesses over the internet due to the widespread internet crimes committed by fraudsters. Many clients have expressed reservations and they prefer offline business transactions to e-business. Bad experience of wrong delivery and erroneous processing of transactions has also contributed to the failure of ecommerce initiative. Pepsi should not just adopt Ecommerce marketing coverage strategy since it focuses on differentiated marketing, they should also consider other aspects that accompany the marketing strategy. Many clients do not have sufficient IT skills that are required in carrying out e-business. This gave the changeover a slow start in some regions, including India, with many insisting on continued offline transaction (Joseph, 2008). Conclusion Ecommerce and e-business have become the order of modern business. Many companies than need to compete have adapted the two innovations. Ecommerce and e-business involve the use of the Internet in the transaction of goods and services from production, order, delivery, marketing, and payment for the purchased goods and services. PepsiCo is one of the companies that have adopted ecommerce for about ten years and have used the new technology in inventory management, supply chain management, Internet marketing and electronic funds transfer. PepsiCo is an international company that deals in beverages and foods snacks in four major regions in North America, South America, Europe and Asia and African markets with a number of products like Pepsi-Cola, 7Up, Fritos Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Doritos, Pepsi Max, Quaker Foods, Tropicana Cheetos, Miranda, Ruffles, Aquafina, Tostitos, Sierra Mist, Walker's and Lay's Lipton. The company uses the Internet to market and sell these brands. Several strategies ensure all the stakeholders are successfully navigated through the navigation period. These include adequate planning, employee development, good management kills, infrastructure, and risk management systems. Buy custom American multinational corporation essay

Head-to-Toe Assessment Complete 12-Step Checklist

Head-to-Toe Assessment Complete 12-Step Checklist SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Need some info on conducting a head-to-toe assessment? Whether you are just looking for a quick head-to-toe assessment cheat sheet or a total guide to conducting a nursing head-to-toe assessment in a clinical setting, we’ve got you covered! We’ll start with a brief overview of the assessment process, then a quick head-to-toe assessment checklist. After that, we’ll do a deep dive on all the assessment steps, and wrap up with some example videos. What Is a Head-to-Toe Assessment? A head-to-toe nursing assessment is a comprehensive process that reviews the health of all major body systems (from â€Å"head-to-toe,† hence the name). head-to-toe assessments are usually performed by nurses as part of a physical exam, although physician assistants, EMTs, and doctors also sometimes perform head-to-toe assessments. Nurses and other clinicians may not perform a head-to-toe physical assessment for every single patient, depending on the setting they work in. They are typically a key part of primary care visits and annual physicals, but less common when the patient presents with a specific complaint or issue. Quick Head-to-Toe Assessment Checklist In case you’re just looking for a head-to-toe assessment cheat sheet, we’ve created a brief list here of the major things to check for. You can click on each of the body systems to be taken to a more in-depth description with instructions for that part of the head-to-toe assessment. Or maybe you’re looking for a nursing head-to-toe assessment form that you can print out and write on? We have that, too! Just click on this link for a PDF: Head-to-Toe Assessment Checklist Note that different health systems (or professors, if you’re a nursing student!) may have slightly different expectations for all of the specific tests you will perform as part of the head-to-toe assessment. While the below nursing head-to-toe assessment cheat sheet can function as a guide, be sure to comply with the specifications of your place of work or school. Also note that assessments for different sub-populations (like a pediatric head-to-toe assessment) may have different procedures. This is a general adult nursing head-to-toe assessment guide. So this is not a guide to head-to-toe assessment for cats and dogs. Assessment Tools Penlight BP cuff Thermometer Tongue depressor Stethoscope Sterile sharp object (like toothpick or pin) Sterile soft object (like cotton ball) Something for patient to smell (could be an alcohol swab) Vital Signs, Stats, and Neurological Indicators Oriented x 3 Assess temperature Measure blood pressure Assess heart rate Assess respiratory rate Height and weight Head/Face Check distribution and condition of hair Check scalp for bumps, nits, lesions, etc Palpate skull for tenderness Check for symmetrical facial movements Assess sharp and dull sensation on face Eyes Assess symmetry Eyebrow and eyelash distribution Check state of conjunctiva Check sclera Assess state of patient’s cornea PERRLA Check the six cardinal positions of the gaze Assess patient vision with Snellen Charts Ears Inspect and palpate auricle for lesions, tenderness Look inside ear; assess ear discharge and tympanic membrane Tuning fork tests (Weber’s Test, Rinne Test) Assess patient hearing with whisper test Nose Palpate nose and assess symmetry Check septum Check inside nostrils Verify that patient can breathe through each nostril Verify patient sense of smell is intact Palpate sinuses Mouth and Throat Moistness and color of lips Inspect teeth and gums Assess buccal mucosa and palate Examine tongue Look at uvula Look at tonsils Palpate jaw joint Neck and Shoulders Check neck range of motion Check shoulder shrug with resistance Palpate lymph nodes of the head, face, and neck (and under the arms) Palpate neck and trachea Check for JVD Lungs and Thorax Listen to lung sounds front and back Assess respiratory exclusion level Palpate thorax Assess spinal curvature Ask about coughing, respiratory issues Circulatory System Palpate carotid and temporal artery bilaterally Listen to heartbeat and heart valves Gastrointestinal System Inspect abdomen Listen to four quadrants of abdomen for bowel sounds Palpate four quadrants of abdomen for pain/tenderness Ask about problems with bowel or bladder Arms and Hands Assess range of motion and strength in arms/hands Check all pulses in arms Cap refill test on fingernails Check skin turgor Assess sharp and dull sensation on arms Legs and Feet Assess range of motion and strength in legs and ankles Check cap refill on toenails Check pulses of legs and feet Assess sharp and dull sensation on legs Assess gait Genitourinary Exam Check pubic hair for lice and nits Check for tenderness, lumps, lesions Breast Exam Palpate breasts Let's get started! In-Depth Guide to Conducting a Head-to-Toe Assessment Here’s our in-depth guide to conducting a head-to-toe assessment, complete with explanations and linked videos. We’ll start with some general principles to keep in mind throughout the assessment and then move on to a more detailed look at each of the tasks you’ll need to complete for each area/system of the body. 4 General Principles for Head-to-Toe Nursing Assessments Here are four general principles to keep in mind as you conduct your head-to-toe assessment. #1: Documentation Is Important Remember that head-to-toe assessment documentation is a critical part of the process. If you don’t write down your findings, how will you remember them all to translate patient needs into a comprehensive care plan? Many people use nursing head-to-toe checklists or forms to make sure they remember everything and to document patient results. #2: Communicate Throughout Be sure to communicate clearly with your patient throughout the assessment. Always ask before you start touching the patient, and explain what you are doing as you do it. Additionally, ask patient about how they have been feeling. They are the expert on their own body! #3: Keep an Eye on Bilateral Symmetry The human body is, in general, bilaterally symmetrical (i.e., the left side is the same as the right side). When you are examining a patient, make note of any unusual asymmetry. If a patient is weaker on one side than another, or has limited range of motion, or one side seems limper or otherwise different from the other side, there could be an underlying neurological or musculoskeletal issue. #4: Assess Skin Throughout The skin is a great barometer of overall wellness. Note if patient’s skin seems unusually pale, flushed, cold, hot, clammy, or dry anywhere throughout the exam. Also not any lesions, abrasions, or rashes. You might not have a barometer, but you definitely have skin. Step 1: Check Vital Signs and Neurological Indicators The first things you'll want to check are patient vital signs and overall neurological status. Oriented x 3 Is patient alert and responsive? Ask if they can tell you their name, if they know where they are, and what day it is. If yes, patient is â€Å"alert and oriented x 3.† Assess Temperature Take patient temperature and assess whether it is in the normal range. Record whether the temperature was taken orally, rectally, in the ear, at the forehead, or in the armpit as these methods have differing accuracy levels. Measure Blood Pressure In professional settings, you may have an automatic blood pressure cuff or you may need to take blood pressure manually. (As a student you’ll likely need to demonstrate that you can take blood pressure manually). To measure blood pressure manually: First find the brachial pulse, on the inside of the patient’s elbow. Tightly secure the cuff about one inch above the elbow bend (you should be able to fit about two fingers between the cuff and the patient’s arm). Place your stethoscope (diaphragm or bell) over the pulse. Verify that you can hear the brachial pulse. Inflate the cuff until the gauge reads at about 180 mmHg. You should no longer hear the brachial pulse through the stethoscope. Allow the cuff to deflate gradually. The systolic BP is the measurement of the gauge the moment you hear the brachial pulse again. The diastolic BP is the measuring of the gauge when you stop hearing that pulse. Here’s an in-depth guide to taking manual blood pressure with a video. (There’s a briefer video with all the vital signs below). Assess Heart Rate When you measure the heart rate, you’ll count the beats per minute over a patient pulse point with two fingers (not the thumb, which has its own pulse and can mess up the reading). You’ll usually assess at the radial pulse (wrist) or the carotid pulse (neck). Normal adult BPM is about 60-100, although athletes can have lower heart rates. In a patient with a regular heartbeat, you can take the pulse for 30 seconds and just multiple by two, but if the beat seems irregular, go for at least a full minute. Assess Respiratory Rate Respiratory rate is the number of breaths per minute, which you can tell from the rise and fall of the patient’s chest. If you tell a patient you are assessing their breathing, they may actually change their breath rate, so it’s best to assess this surreptitiously after you take the pulse rate. 12 to 20 breaths per minute is the normal adult range. Here’s a quick video guide to checking all the vital signs. This video includes oxygen saturation, which you may or may not need to assess. Height and Weight You may also take patient’s height and weight as part of a head-to-toe assessment. Sadly, "number of puppies seen recently" is not a vital sign. Step 2: Examine Head and Face These steps will have you check the overall condition of the head and face. Subsequent sections will be devoted to the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Check Distribution and Condition of Hair Is hair healthy? Evenly distributed? Is it thinning in places? Note any abnormalities, like unusual brittleness or uneven thinning. Check Scalp for Bumps, Nits, Lesions, Etc. Part hair in several places on the scalp to check for bumps, sores, or scabs on the skin. Assess dryness and dandruff. Also check if there are lice or nits present in the hair. Palpate Skull for Tenderness Palpate the skull to determine if there are any tender or sore areas. Check for Symmetrical Facial Movements Have patient smile, frown, raise eyebrows, and puff out cheeks. If patient can move face at will, movements are symmetrical, and there are no involuntary movement, cranial nerve VII is intact. Assess Sharp and Dull Sensation on Face This test assesses the state of cranial nerve V. Hold a sterile, sharp object (like a needle or pin) in one hand and a soft item (like a cotton ball or q-tip) in the other. Ask patient to close eyes and identify whether the sensation they are feeling is sharp or dull. Gently touch the patient’s face in different places with the sharp item or the dull item, varying the order. His head doesn't look so good to me. Step 3: Inspect Eyes When checking patient eyes, you'll assess both patient vision and the health of the eye tissues like the conjunctiva, sclera, and cornea. Assess Symmetry Verify that eyes are symmetrical, that the palpebral fissures are equal and there is no ptosis. Have patient blink; make sure that eyes close completely Eyebrow and Eyelash Distribution Assess state of eyelashes and eyebrows; should be symmetrical and evenly distributed. Check State of Conjunctiva You can assess the conjunctiva by gently applying downward pressure to the skin below the patient’s eyes. Conjunctiva should be pinkish and free of lesions. Unusually pale conjunctiva can be a sign of anemia, and inflammation or infection can cause red conjunctiva. Check Sclera Gently hold patient lids open and examine whites of the patient’s eyes (can be done simultaneously while assessing conjunctiva). They should be white in color with some capillaries visible. There may be some spots of pigmentation but there should not be lesions or yellowness. Assess State of Patient’s Corneas You can examine the cornea by shining your penlight indirectly across the patient’s eye (so not directly into their eyes but shining from the side). This will illuminate the cornea, which should be smooth and clear. The features of the iris should be clearly visible through the cornea. Additionally, patient should blink when cornea is touched gently with something sterile (the corneal reflex). PERRLA PERRLA is an acronym that means that pupils are equal, round, reactive to light and accommodation. This can be tested with a penlight and assesses the state of cranial nerves II and III. You should first look at the pupils to ensure that they are round and equal in size (PER). To check that they are reactive to light, dim the room and move the penlight back and forth between the eyes. Both pupils should constrict equally in response to the light (direct and consensual response). To check that they accommodate, move your finger (or the penlight) slowly closer to the patient’s face. The patient’s pupils should constrict as the object comes closer. Here is a how-to video for checking PERRLA. Check Six Cardinal Positions of the Gaze Hold your penlight or finger about one foot in front of patient’s face. Ask them to follow the movements of your penlight or finger with their eyes only (without moving the head/neck). Move the penlight or finger out to the six cardinal positions of the gaze, moving back into the center before proceeding to the next one (like you are drawing out a compass rose). The patient should be able to hold their gaze at each of the six cardinal positions without any jerking (nystagmus). This test assesses the health of cranial nerves III, IV, and VI. Assess Patient Vision with Snellen Chart Ask patient to stand the appropriate distance away from the Snellen Chart. (Distance from a standard chart is 20 feet, but your health care setting may use a special chart where the patient should stand a different distance away.) Have them first cover one eye and read the smallest row of letters that they can. Have them repeat with the other eye. If the patient wears glasses or contacts, test both with and without vision correction so you can assess the adequacy of the vision correction. Here’s some info on interpreting Snellen Chart results. If the eyes are the window to the soul, you'll be seeing a lot of souls. Step 4: Evaluate Ears As with the eyes, you'll assess both the health of the ear tissue and sensing function (i.e. hearing). Inspect and Palpate Auricle for Lesions, Tenderness Skin of the auricle (and behind) should be intact. Cartilage should be firm with no tenderness on palpation. Auricles should be roughly symmetrical. Look Inside Ear; Assess Ear Discharge and Tympanic Membrane Pull the pinna/auricle upwards and backwards to straighten the ear canal and examine the tympanic membrane in adults (pull down and back in children). Some yellow or brown cerumen (earwax) is normal. Tympanic membrane (eardrum) should be a translucent pearly gray color; note abnormal color or rupture. [picture of tympanic membrane from wikimedia commons] Tuning Fork Tests (Weber’s Test, Rinne Test) The Weber and Rinne tests both check for different kinds of hearing loss. For the Weber test, strike the tuning fork and then place the base of the fork on the center of the patient’s forehead. Sounds should be equal in both ears. If sound is stronger in one ear or the other, indicates possible hearing loss. For the Rinne test, strike the tuning fork and place the base against the mastoid process. Start a stopwatch. Tell the patient to tell you when they stop hearing the sound of the tuning fork. When they stop hearing the sound, move the tuning fork so the forks are in front of the ear (and note the time on your stopwatch). Tell them to tell you when they stop hearing the sound again. Patient should hear the sound of the tuning fork through the air (in front of the air) 2x longer than through the bone. Repeat on the other ear. Assess Patient Hearing with Whisper Test Stand next to and a little behind patient (about 2 feet away) so they cannot read your lips. Ask patient to cover opposite ear. Whisper a two-three syllable word and ask patient to repeat it back to you. Repeat with the other ear (and a different word!) Are you ready to get out your trusty tuning fork? Step 5: Check Nose You'll be checking the nose both externally and internally. Palpate Nose and Assess Symmetry Gently palpate nose for any tenderness. Make sure nose is in midline and symmetrical. Excessive flaring of the nostrils may indicate respiratory distress. Check Septum Use penlight to illuminate septum to check that it is midline and not perforated. Check Inside Nostrils Shine penlight in each nostril. Check that membranes are pink and that there is no discharge or lesions. Turbinates should not be swollen. Verify Patency of Nares Have patient close one nostril with fingertip and breathe in and out through that nostril. Repeat with other nostril. If patient cannot exhale through each naris, the nasal passage is occluded. Verify Patient Sense of Smell is Intact Ask patient to close eyes. Hold easily scented item (like coffee beans, cinnamon, or even an alcohol-soaked cotton ball) under the nose and ask patient to identify scent. Palpate Sinuses Gently palpate patient frontal and maxillary sinuses. Frontal sinuses are palpable over patient eyebrows. Maxillary sinuses are palpable on the cheek just outside the nares. Patient should not feel tenderness to pressure. "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to remove your fingers from your nose so I can examine it properly." Step 6: Probe Mouth and Throat Again, like the nose, you'll assess the health of the mouth and throat both externally and by looking inside. Moistness and Color of Lips Lips should be colorful, pinkish, roughly symmetrical, and free of lesions. Very cracked or chapped lips could be a symptom of a number of issues, from dehydration to wind exposure to autoimmune conditions. Inspect Teeth and Gums Assess patient teeth for number (28 in children, 32 in adults), color, and alignment. Note any cavities or chips. Assess gums for bleeding, puffiness, or retraction (the pulling of the gum away from the tooth, which can give teeth an â€Å"elongated† appearance). Also note presence of halitosis; gum disease and oral infection are some of the most common causes of bad breath. Assess Buccal Mucosa and Palate The membranes of the mouth and cheek should be pink, moist, and free of lesions. Examine Tongue Tongue should be midline, pink with white taste buds, and free of lesions. Patient should be able to move tongue without difficulty. Look at Uvula Patient uvula should be in the midline, pink or reddish in color, and free of swelling or lesions. When the patients says â€Å"ah,† uvula should move forward and up. (This tests cranial nerve X.) Look at Tonsils Depress tongue to inspect tonsils for inflammation, infection, swelling and tonsil stones. Infected tonsils are often red and puffy with white or yellow patches. Palpate Jaw Joint Palpate the jaw joint (the temporomandibular joint) while patient’s mouth is closed, and then again while it is open. Patient should be able to open and close mouth without pain and there should be no pain on palpation. What plentiful mouths you have! Step 7: Examine Neck and Shoulders In the neck and shoulders, you'll primarily assess musculoskeletal function, but you'll also assess the lymph nodes and a few other things. Check Neck Range of Motion Ask patient to look up, down, left, and right to assess that they have full range of motion in the neck. Ask if there is any pain (should be painless). Check Shoulder Shrug with Resistance Ask patient to shrug shoulders. Movement should be symmetrical and painless. Then, place hands on shoulders and ask patient to shrug again. Apply resistance. Patient should still be able to shrug with about equal force on each side. Palpate Lymph Nodes of the Head, Face, and Neck (and Under the Arms) Using the first two or three fingers (using the flat pads as opposed to the fingertips), you’ll palpate the following lymph nodes by moving the skin over the area in a circular motion: the occipital, posterior auricular, pre-auricular, sub-mandibular, sub-mental, anterior cervical chain, posterior cervical chain, and the supraclavicular lymph nodes. You may also wish to palpate the axillary lymph nodes, under the arms. Here is a video of lymph node palpation. Observe/Palpate Trachea and Neck Palpate neck to feel for any lumps, deviations, or tenderness in the neck, especially the trachea area. You may also wish to palpate the thyroid, which requires a glass of water and can be done from the front (anterior approach) or behind (posterior approach). Check for JVD Jugular Venous Distension refers simply to an abnormally full or bulging jugular vein in the neck. It can be a sign of serious heart disease. To assess JVD, you’ll want to lay the patient down with the head of the hospital bed at a 45-degree angle. If you can see the bulging jugular vein in the side of the neck, the patient has JVD. Here’s a video so you can see what JVD looks like and how it is diagnosed. It would take a long time to palpate a giraffe neck. Step 8: Assess Lungs and Thorax When examining the chest area, you'll primarily be assessing respiratory function. Listen to Lung Sounds Front and Back You’ll be listening to the lungs up and down each lung, front and back, with your stethoscope to assess for any irregular breathing sounds. Here’s an in-depth video guide to lung auscultation as well as a guide to regular and irregular lung sounds. Assess Respiratory Expansion Level To assess respiratory expansion, place your hands on the patient’s mid-back with thumbs at midline. Ask them to take a deep breath. Both sides of the chest should expand equally with breath. Palpate thorax Palpate the thorax for any areas of tenderness, lumps, asymmetry, lesions, etc. Assess Spinal Curvature Spine should appear vertical when viewed from the back (with no scoliosis). Should exhibit normal curvature from the side. Ask About Coughing, Respiratory Issues Ask patient if they are experiencing any coughing or other respiratory problems. If they are coughing, is it a dry cough or a wet cough? Lungs or alien heads? You decide! Step 9: Check Circulatory System Function Assessing the circulatory system is something you'll actually be doing throughout the exam as you assess various pulses. but as you are assessing the chest, you'll want to examine the heart. Palpate the Carotid and Temporal Pulses Bilaterally Using index and middle fingers, feel the carotid pulse (at the side of the neck) and the temporal pulse (at the temple). Since you already checked pulse rate, you don’t need to listen for a whole minute; just verify that the pulse is palpable and regular in rhythm. Listen to Heartbeat and Heart Valves You’ll need to listen to the patient’s heart in four places with your stethoscope: the aortic valve, the pulmonic valve, the tricuspid valve, and the mitral valve. You’ll be listening for any irregularities in rhythm or irregular sounds during valve closures. Here’s an in-depth video describing how to find and listen to all of these valves, an overview of heart sounds, and a short video showing how to auscultate the heart if you just need a quick refresher. These hearts don't circulate blood very well. Step 9: Review Gastrointestinal System You'll assess the gastrointestinal system by examining the abdomen and asking the patient questions. Inspect Abdomen Inspect patient abdomen for any visible lumps, lesions, or distension or concavity. Listen to 4 Quadrants of Abdomen for Bowel Sounds Visually dividing the abdomen into four quadrants with the belly button as the midline, listen to bowel sounds in each quadrant. Judge if sounds are hypoactive, hyperactive, or absent. If you do hear sounds, you may only need to listen for several seconds in each quadrant. However, you should listen to each quadrant for five minutes before you determine that there are no bowel sounds. Here’s a video. Palpate 4 Quadrants of Abdomen for Pain/Tenderness After you listen to the sounds, palpate the four quadrants of the abdomen for any pain, tenderness, or lumps with your fingers. Here’s a video showing how to do it. Ask About Problems With Bowel or Bladder Ask patient when their last bowel movement was. Also ask if appetite, bowel movements, and urination have been normal. Aren't you glad that humans don't actually have transparent skin? Step 10: Inspect Arms and Hands In the extremities, you'll assess musculoskeletal function, sensory function, circulation, and tissue perfusion. Assess Range of Motion and Strength in Arms Have patient demonstrate range of motion in arms and hands. They should be able to roll shoulders, show flexion and extension of the elbow joint, circle the hands around the wrist joint, and demonstrate full flexion and extension of the wrist without pain. Also have patient squeeze push against your hands, pull your hands towards them, and squeeze your fingers to assess strength, which should be equal bilaterally. Here’s a video showing this process. Check All Pulses in Arms There are two major pulses in the arms: the radial pulse (at the wrist) and the brachial pulse (in the inner elbow). If you already checked the radial and brachial pulses while you were taking vitals, you can skip this step. It’s most important to check that the pulses are palpable and regular in rhythm. Cap Refill Test on Fingernails To check tissue perfusion, pinch one of the patient’s fingertips, applying pressure to the nail. When you release the fingertip, the nail bed should return to a normal color within 3 seconds. Check Skin Turgor On the back of the hand or forearm, pinch skin. It should immediately snap back to position upon release without â€Å"tenting† (remaining pinched upright). Tenting indicates dehydration or fluid volume deficit (link). However, note that this is not an effective test of skin turgor on elderly patients, as lower skin elasticity means their skin often tents regardless of their fluid levels! Assess Sharp and Dull Sensation on Arms Take your sterile, sharp object (like a needle or pin) in one hand and your soft item (like a cotton ball or q-tip) in the other. Ask patient to close eyes and identify whether the sensation they are feeling is sharp or dull. Gently touch the patient’s arms in different places with the sharp item or the dull item, varying the order. The hands are fine, but where's the rest of you? Step : Examine Legs and Feet You'll perform most of the same examinations on the lower extremities that you did on the upper extremities. Assess Range of Motion and Strength in Legs and Ankles You should test range of motion of the lower extremities with the patient lying down. Patient should be able to flex and extend the ankle joint, and circle the foot. Patient should also be able to bend the knee and then move leg outward (to test hip ROM) on each side. There should be no pain. To assess strength, patient should push against your hands on the top of their feet, push down against your hands on the bottom of your feet, and push up against your hand on their shin. Strength should be equal bilaterally. Here’s a video of these tests (she starts with strength and then tests ROM). Check Cap Refill on Toenails Perform the cap refill test on one of the patient’s toenails. After applying pressure, the patient’s nail bed should return to a normal color by 3 seconds. Check Pulses of Legs and Feet There are four major pulse points on the legs and feet: femoral (hip/groin), popliteal (behind knee), posterior tibial (ankle) and dorsalis pedis (top of foot). Palpate the pulses of the legs and feet with your middle two or three fingers (not the thumb, which has its own pulse!) As you’ve already taken the pulse rate at this point, it’s not necessarily the rate that’s critical here but the regularity and strength of the pulse. Pulse should be palpable and regular. Assess Sharp and Dull Sensation on Legs Repeat the sharp and dull sensation test on the patient’s legs. Take your sterile, sharp object and your soft item. Ask patient to close eyes and identify whether the sensation they are feeling is sharp or dull. Gently touch the patient’s legs in different places with the sharp item or the dull item, varying the order. Assess Gait Observe patient gait (can be done when patient gets up to complete Snellen chart). Should be symmetrical, regular, and balanced. I bet they have complete range of motion and strength in their lower extremities. Optional Step 1: Complete Genitourinary Exam You may not always perform a genitourinary exam as part of a head-to-toe assessment. However, if you do, here are the main things you’ll be checking for: Check Pubic Hair for Lice and Nits Assess for presence of lice or nits in pubic hair. Check for Tenderness, Lumps, Lesions Check for any unusual tenderness, lumps, or lesions on the external genitalia. For men, this will involve lightly palpating the penis and testicles. Optional Step 2: Perform Breast Exam You may or may not need to perform a breast exam in your head-to-toe assessment- sometimes it’s advised to only perform them on symptomatic men or older women. However, here’s an in-depth guide to palpating the breast and feeling for unusual lumps. I almost made a melon joke, but then I decided it was low-hanging fruit. Heads So you can get an idea of how the entire process plays out in real time (and also how it may vary from institution to institution), we’ve gathered a few videos that are useful head-to-toe assessment examples. If you’re looking for more examples, you can find lots of example videos of student assessments on Youtube (just type in â€Å"head-to-toe assessment nursing†). However, be aware that every student is going off of a different professor’s rubric, and not everything may be 100% correct! Student Head This example video shows a nursing student performing an efficient but thorough sample assessment. Florida State College at Jacksonville Student Example This head-to-toe assessment video shows a particularly detailed assessment procedure performed by a nursing student. This video is particularly helpful because the student clearly describes what each step indicates about body function. Capital Community College Assessment This head-to-toe nursing assessment video is useful because it presents the assessment in a realistic-seeming care setting with a patient who asks questions. It also shows the nurse asking questions about the patient’s life quality, and closely explaining every step of the assessment so that the patient knows what’s happening. We made it all the way from head to toe! Time for a nap. Review: Completing a Head-to-Toe Assessment In this guide to the head-to-toe physical assessment, we provided the resources you need to complete a comprehensive head-to-toe nursing assessment! We have a nursing head-to-toe assessment form for you to use as a guide as well as in-depth guidance to every step of the assessment process. We also included several head-to-toe assessment videos so you can see the whole process in action! What's Next? If you're looking for more information on clinical care, we have guides to making care plans for decreased cardiac output and fluid volume deficit. We have a complete list of ICD-10 codes for diabetes and for abdominal pain. Want more information about heart positioning? Or about blood pressure readings? We've got you covered. Considering going into healthcare administration instead? We have a list of the top programs and what degrees you'll need for which jobs in this article.